A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8618616 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 89337627 epoch_slot_no: 172827 block_no: 8618439 slot_leader_id: 7046439 size: 72728 time: 2023-04-07 21:45:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb4ca2cc7dc30f2fb8d67da9bef63eb5e61882793ea61c2e1374eba787728114aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10k7rn64qw8h3w9cw46x4zrxr800w7cd8cxthhmpf35f6lg70njns4gjayc op_cert: \x4abc62f1576299e166802abc7a94a55565281dff5f57c2b36106154c099f7971 op_cert_counter: 1659972841